Disney+ has piled up successes since its Nov. 2019 debut. Its latest is the popularity of the animated movie “Soul,” which scored the top spot in Nielsen’s streaming rankings Dec. 21-27.
Most impressive, the new film, which posits a jazz musician who tries to escape heaven after an accidental death, surpassed “The Office” at No. 2. “Soul” earned 1.66 billion streaming minutes vs. “The Office,” which returned 1.43 billion, while still on Netflix.
That’s a big deal, as the Dunder-Mifflin-based sitcom was the streaming leader for 2020. Another winner for Disney+, in the No. 5 spot, was “The Mandalorian,” driven by legions of “Star Wars” fans.
Other streamers hit the jackpot with fantasy, drama and sci-fi.
For example, Netflix took third place with “Bridgerton,” the Regency-era romance drama just renewed for a second season, and fourth with “The Midnight Sky,” about a scientist dealing with a global disaster.
To date, Nielsen only has metrics for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Disney+. HBO Max and Peacock will come later. However, “Wonder Woman 1984” soared on its HBO Max release Christmas Day and in the ensuing days – but wasn’t tracked by Nielsen.
The remaining five shows in the top 10 streaming hits, all from Netflix, including “How the Grinch Stole Xmas,” “The Crown” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Christmas Chronicles 2” and Criminal Minds.”